CleanStartup.jpg' alt='Vista Can Change Startup Programs' title='Vista Can Change Startup Programs' />Windows Program Automatic Startup Locations. Many programs that you install are automatically run when you start your computer and load Windows. For the majority of cases, this type of behavior is fine. Unfortunately, there are programs that are not legitimate, such as spyware, hijackers, trojans, worms, viruses, that load in this manner as well. It is therefore important that you check regularly your startup registry keys regularly. Windows does offer a program that will list programs that are automatically started from SOME of these locations. This program, Msconfig. Below are the various list of registry keys that can start a program when Windows boots. I have tried to keep the keys in the exact order that they load. Keep in mind, that some of the keys are set to load at the same time, so it is possible that the order will change on each boot up. These keys generally apply to Windows 9. ME, NT, XP, 2. 00. Windows Vista, and Windows 7, and I will note when it is otherwise. Upon turning on the computer the following autostart locations are processed in the following order Windows Boot Device Drivers These drivers are loaded first as they are required for the proper operation of hardware such as storage devices. Boot device drivers will be located under the following key and have a Start value equal to 0. HKEYLOCALMACHINESystemCurrent. Control. SetServices. Windows will now perform various tasks and then start the Winlogon process. Winlogon eventually starts the service control manager that loads services and drivers that are set for auto start. Windows Auto start Services Drivers The Service Control Manager SCM process WindowsSystem. Start value of 2. HKEYLOCALMACHINESystemCurrent. Control. SetServices. Run. Services. Once This key is designed to start services when a computer boots up. These entries can also continue running even after you log on, but must be completed before the HKEYLOCALMACHINE. Run. Once registry can start loading its programs. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Services. Massive list of programs that can run on a Windows 1087VistaXP system at startup, including those created by viruses, worms, spyware and trojans including how. Anyone using a Windows operating system can fall victim to a tcpip. Blue Screen of Death. CUsersltUser Profile folder nameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup. This will take you directly to Windows 8 Startup folder. So your computer has been booting slowly lately You probably have too many programs and services trying to start up all at once. Are you wondering how they got there. Chameleon Startup Manager can control programs that run at Windows startup, which makes Windows start faster, operate with increased stability and to lower the HDD usage. What is hameleon Startup Manager Chameleon Startup Manager can control programs that run at Windows startup, which makes Windows start faster and operate with. Once. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Services. Once. Run. Services This key is designed to start services as well. These entries can also continue running even after you log on, but must be completed before the HKEYLOCALMACHINE. Run. Once registry can start loading its programs. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Services. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Services. The Windows logon prompt is shown on the Screen. After a user logs in the rest of the keys continue. Notify This key is used to add a program that will run when a particular event occurs. Events include logon, logoff, startup, shutdown, startscreensaver, and stopscreensaver. When Winlogon. exe generates an event such as the ones listed, Windows will look in the Notify registry key for a DLL that will handle this event. Malware has been known to use this method to load itself when a user logs on to their computer. Loading in such a way allows the malware program to load in such a way that it is not easy to stop. HKEYLOCALMACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent. VersionWinlogonNotify. User. Init Key This key specifies what program should be launched right after a user logs into Windows. The default program for this key is C windowssystem. Us Cellular Tower Update Codes For Php there. Userinit. exe is a program that restores your profile, fonts, colors, etc for your user name. It is possible to add further programs that will launch from this key by separating the programs with a comma. For example. HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent. VersionWinlogonUserinit C windowssystem. This will make both programs launch when you log in and is a common place for trojans, hijackers, and spyware to launch from. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent. VersionWinlogonUserinit. Shell Value This value contains a list of comma separated values that Userinit. The default shell for Windows is explorer. When userinit. exe starts the shell, it will first launch the Shell value found in HKEYCURRENTUSER. If this value is not present, it will then launch the value found in HKEYLOCALMACHINE. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent. VersionWinlogonShell. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent. VersionWinlogonShell. The rest of the Autostart locations will now be processed. Run. Once Local Machine Key These keys are designed to be used primarily by Setup programs. Entries in these keys are started once and then are deleted from the key. If there is an exclamation point preceding the value of the key, the entry will not be deleted until after the program completes, otherwise it will be deleted before the program runs. This is important, because if the exclamation point is not used, and the program referenced in this key fails to complete, it will not run again as it will have already been deleted. All entries in this key are started synchronously in an undefined order. Due to this, all programs in this key must be finished before any entries in HKEYLOCALMACHINE. Run, HKEYCURRENTUSER. Run, HKEYCURRENTUSER. Run. Once, and Startup Folders can be loaded. The Run. Once keys are ignored under Windows 2. Windows XP in Safe Mode. The Run. Once keys are not supported by Windows NT 3. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Once. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Once. Ex. Run These are the most common startup locations for programs to install auto start from. By default these keys are not executed in Safe mode. If you prefix the value of these keys with an asterisk, it will run in Safe Mode. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. All Users Startup Folder For Windows XP, 2. NT, this folder is used for programs that should be auto started for all users who will login to this computer. It is generally found at. C Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartup. C wontProfilesAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartup. C Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsStartup. User Profile Startup Folder This folder will be executed for the particular user who logs in. This folder is usually found in. C Documents and SettingsLogin. NameStart MenuProgramsStartup. Run. Once Current User Key These keys are designed to be used primarily by Setup programs. Entries in these keys are started once and then are deleted from the key. If there is an exclamation point preceding the value of the key, the entry will not be deleted until after the program completes, otherwise it will be deleted before the program runs. This is important, because if the exclamation point is not used, and the program referenced in this key fails to complete, it will not run again as it will have already been deleted. The Run. Once keys are ignored under Windows 2. Windows XP in Safe Mode. The Run. Once keys are not supported by Windows NT 3. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionRun. Once. Explorer Run These keys are generally used to load programs as part of a policy set in place on the computer or user. HKEYLOCALMACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionPoliciesExplorerRun. HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent. VersionPoliciesExplorerRun.